Live performance from the Vespers of Mary Magdalene, 21 July 2013 at All Saints Anglican Church, Salt Spring Island, BC. 

Organ: David Storm; Viola: Sally John; Voice: Rasma

Little is known of the composer (also written Girolamo Baglione) except that he was born in 1575 and died in 1608. This is possibly his last work, wrriten for choir and organ, arranged here for soprano, viola and organ. 

Gerolamo Ballione:  Maria Magdalena (1608)

A wonderful fragment of a country dance tune, reworked into a religious song from an early collection from the Cortona region in Italy. The collection with the title Laudarium suggests (like Herbarium) that it is a collection of Lauds or songs to laud the event or saint or religious office that they were written for. Many were written by a renowned poet of the day, but others probably by a lay brother, monk or nun. HOWEVER, at this time in Italy, women were not allowed to sing in church for fear of excommunication by the Pope of the day - even in the convents -  so this song would have been sung as a monophonic chant by the monks and male priests. The women, if they got to sing it, would have been singing a secular words to the same tune out in the fields or in the wash houses or with their families. Nuns may have been able to play the tune on instruments, or they would have just said the words. I have added harmony and have played around with the rhythm as those women in the fields might have done, so my version is a bit of a collaboration between the sacred text and the secular dance tune. Voice & Drum: Rasma; Viola: Sally John
From a live performance for Vespers of St Mary Magdalene, 21 July 2013 at All Saints Anglican Church, Salt Spring Island BC. 

Magdalena Degna Da Laudare

A meditative prayer from the Sufi tradition, arranged by Neil Douglas-Klotz. 

Bruce Everett, flute. 
Rasma Bertz & Jaime Murdoch, voices

Recording Live 5 December 2012 on Salt Spring Island, BC.

Gate Gate Paragate

A sufi chant celebrating the divine in all things. This arrangement is by Bibijian Kalima Msse-Prator. 

Bruce Everett, flute
Rasma Bertz, guitar and voice
Jaime Murdoch, voice

Recorded live, 5th December 2012, Salt Spring Island, BC. 

Thy Light Is In All Forms

6th Day of Christmas: Gustav Holst's version, with words by Christina Rossetti, truly expresses how bleak the winter really is, especially for the poor. And yet, there is room for generosity and new birth, awe and angels. I aimed to tap into the starkness of it all, choosing only a drone as accompaniment. 

Live performance from 3 December, 2014

Rasma Bertz, voice/drone

6 Bleak Midwinter

New Year's Eve (7th Day of Christmas):  starting with an ad lib version of Vaughan Williams' 'This is the Truth from above', which segues into a trio of women's voices in Thomas Ravenscroft's 'Hey Ho, Nobody Home' before launching into the very spirited Sting version of A-Soulin', a traditional wassailing melody. Check out the fabulous bassoon!

Live performance from 3 December, 2014

Lauren Stubbs, bassoon
Sally John, viola
Joi Freed-Garrod, voice
Rasma Bertz, voice/tambourine
Gemma Hooper, voice
Jean Brouard, voice
Dawn Hage, trumpet
Richard Moses, french horn
Jim Raddysh, trombone
Gary Dunn, euphonium

7 Soul Cake Set

Name Day (8th Day of Christmas):  a cute little wassail, especially for apple orchards and trees from the Devon/Dorset/Cornwall end of England. 

Live performance from 3 December, 2014

Joi Freed-Garrod, voice
Rasma Bertz, voice/autoharp
Gemma Hooper, concertina


8 Apple Tree Wassail

9th Day of Christmas: a collection of tunes from Sussex, which would have been performed by travelling mummers. Sussex (or Sans Day) Carol, Wait's Carol - The Moon Shone Bright, Righteous Joseph, and O Mortal Man. 

Live performance from 3 December, 2014

Lauren Stubbs, bassoon
Sally John, viola
Joi Freed-Garrod, voice and keyboards
Rasma Bertz, voice/drone/autoharp/percussion/native flute
Gemma Hooper, voice/recorder/concertina
Jean Brouard, voice
David Storm, piano
Dawn Hage, trumpet
Richard Moses, french horn
Jim Raddysh, trombone
Gary Dunn, euphonium

9 Sussex Mummers

10th Day of Christmas: there is a strong tradition of morris dancing in England, although wintertime is often a time of rest, except for a few occasions at Christmas. This set comprises the rollicking call and answer of Cutty Wren, followed by one of the oldest morris tunes, Abbot's Bromley Horn Dance (11th century), then the Berkeley Wassail, finishing with the Helston Floral Dance, reworked as is tradition, into the Furry Day Carol. 

Live performance from 3 December, 2014

Lauren Stubbs, bassoon
Sally John, viola
Joi Freed-Garrod, voice
Rasma Bertz, voice/percussion
Gemma Hooper, voice/recorder/concertina
Jean Brouard, voice
Dawn Hage, trumpet
Richard Moses, french horn
Jim Raddysh, trombone
Gary Dunn, euphonium

10 Morris Set

Twelfth Night (11th Day of Christmas):  this song marks the end of Christmas, and all its accompanying feasting and merry making. 'Tomorrow it's back to work.'

Live performance from 3 December, 2014

Lauren Stubbs, bassoon
Sally John, viola
Joi Freed-Garrod, voice
Rasma Bertz, voice
Gemma Hooper, voice


11 Welladay

Epiphany (12th Night):  the final offering on the programme is Playford's original version of Greensleeves with the words to The Old Year Now Away is Fled. You will here the modern version of Greensleeves overlaid in the last verse, by the trumpet.  

Live performance from 3 December, 2014

Lauren Stubbs, bassoon
Sally John, viola
Joi Freed-Garrod, voice and keyboards
Rasma Bertz, voice
Gemma Hooper, voice
Jean Brouard, voice
Dawn Hage, trumpet


12 The Old Year Now Away is Fled

It's impossible to celebrate Christmas without a good wassail! Whether you do it to make your apple trees happy, to welcome your neighbours, to celebrate Hogmanay or just raise a toast to life...this welsh carol will enhance your Twelfth night for sure. 
With: Manya Sadouski, Jean Brouard and Jane Arny

Gower Wassail

A medieval german carol, arranged by the renaissance composer Michael Praetorius more commonly heard sung by a choir. This is a antiphonal vocal duet with alternating 4-part harmonic verses. 
With: Manya Sadouski, voice; Lauren Stubbs, bassoon and Sally John, viola

Quem Pastores Laudavere

A live recording from the Twelfth Night service, held at All Saints Anglican Church on Salt Spring Island  in January 2015. This is a simple welsh carol for Epiphany. 

Please To See The King

Recorded live at the Twelfth Night service at All Saints Anglican Church, Salt Spring Island in January 2015. 
This is a traditional carol with English words. Accompanist: David Storm. 

Lovely Is The Dark Blue Sky

My eighth and final winter concert, recorded live at All Saints Anglican Church on Salt Spring Island, 2 December 2015. 

Winter's Light: Appalachian Wassail, featuring music from Acadia to North Carolina with a side order of klezmer and jazz. 

Program:
1. Carol of the Cherry Tree (trad. Appalachian)
2. Chanukah, Oy Chanukah (arr. R Bertz)
3. Joi's Tanz (Joi Freed-Garrod)
4. Drei Dreydele (arr. Joi F-G)
5. Requiem for 2015 (Rasma Bertz)
6. Marian Advent Carols: Or nous dites/Une jeune pucelle/Chartres (arr. R Bertz)
7. This Longest Night (Lorraine Lee Hammond)
8. A Child in a Silent Night (arr. R Bertz with a nod to Thad Jones and Nikki Eyles)
9. Lulle, Jesus the Christ is born (John Jacob Niles)
10. Le Sommeil de l'enfant (Cajun Waltz/trad. French)
11. Away in a Manger (trad. American)
12. Shepherds' Noëls: Noël Nouvellet/Quittez Pasteurs/D'ou Viens tu?
13. That Star Medley: Rise Up Shepherd/Go Tell it/Behold
14. Kentucky Wassail
15. Brightest and Best/Star in the East (trad. Shapenote)
16. I Wonder as I Wander

Musicians: 
Rasma Bertz - voice, percussion, drone, and arrangements
Jean Brouard - voice and percussion
Greg Duckett - violin
Joi Freed-Garrod - voice, piano, composition and arrangements
Kathy Harris - clarinet
Amy Haysom - voice
Sally John - viola
Gail Sjuberg - accordion
David Storm - piano. 

With many thanks to Lottie and the team of Music Makers of the Anglican Church for many, many years of organising this music series, and encouraging folk like me to become a tradition. 



Winter's Light Live 2015 (Full)

Eccentrically diverse, I am a classically trained singer, percussionist and musicologist, also a health practitioner and teacher, gardener and librarian. I have an esoteric blog site: http://quantumnorth.wordpress.com, and a photo gallery at http://fineartamerica.com/profiles/1-rasma-bertz.html

I'm not into stylistic pigeon holing - if there's a good bass line and a funky groove I can dance to, then inspiration will follow. I keep a toe in the classical world with a specialism in early baroque/renaissance and 20th century composers, and my radio show. Looking to do vocal tracks for DJs and producers - any style...if my voice fits, contact me! 

Important muses in my life include Tallis, Gesualdo, Monteverdi, Steve Reich, RVW, Beth Quist, Imogen Heap, Kate Bush, Alan Stivell, Suzie leBlanc, Julianne Baird, Daega SoundSystem, Gaudi and Underworld. 

rasmabertzvoice

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